


The Return

by dsa_archivist



Category: Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, The Sentinel, due South
Genre: Crossover, Gen, Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 1999-02-23
Updated: 1999-02-23
Packaged: 2018-11-10 20:56:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11134557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dsa_archivist/pseuds/dsa_archivist
Summary: Bon Bon Hai decided that it was time for the Dark Warrior to return. Sequel to "What A Coincidence" This story is a sequel toWhat A Coincidence.





	The Return

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Speranza, the archivist: this story was once archived at [Due South Archive](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Due_South_Archive). To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in June 2017. I tried to reach out to all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Due South Archive collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/duesoutharchive).

First of all I want to thank the guys from the KFTLC list for providing me with all the info that I needed and coming up with silly reasons on why the Sing Wah might want to steal jewels and I've used most of these ideas in the story. I would really like to list out their names, but my name list is back in Malaysia and I'm in Australia. But I think you remember who you are, so THANK YOU!! And of course I also want to thank my beta reader Sama. You're a jewel!! 

This story actually takes place after 'What A Coincidence' and before 'Destined For Trouble'. You will need to know about the events that took place in Amparo Bertram's KFTLC/DS story 'He Said Always...He Said Never' to be able to fully understand this story. It also has a reference to my story 'What A Coincidence' so you might want to read it. In fact, this is the sequel to that. It's pretty short anyway. 

If you have full knowledge of the above stories, you are welcome to go straight to the story. If not, read on. 

In HSA...HSN, the DS gang meet the KFTLC gang and together they managed to stop Victoria, a character from DS, from stealing a ruby and put her behind bars. Their adventures continued in 'Sloanville Holiday'. 

In 'What A Coincidence', the characters from three of the shows, KFTLC/DS/TS, meet and Peter solves a personal problem. 

Timeline: KFTLC- Sometime after Blackout.  
DS- After All The Queen's Horses.  
TS- No specific timeline.

Disclaimers: Not mine. They belong to their respective owners, not me. So don't sue. 

****

 

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

****

The Return

A Kung Fu: TLC/ dueSouth/ Sentinel crossover story  
by Eugenie Chua

****

Jan 98

# # # # # # # #

__

"On the year of yin, month of yin, day of yin and the hour of yin  
The jewels will meet again on the plate of Tai Gu.   
The gate of Fu Xie will open  
And the Dark Warrior will rise again."

# # # # # # # #

"Damned!" cursed Detective James Ellison. "Two weeks and we still don't have a clue!"

"Yeah," said his friend, partner, and guide, Blair Sandburg, equally frustrated with the latest case they were working on. "It seems they just dropped out of nowhere, took whatever they wanted and vanish from the surface of earth!"

It had seemed to be a simple case in the beginning. A jewelry store in Chinatown was broken into, some of the more precious items and all of the gemstones were taken. A simple break in case. But further investigation suggested otherwise. Forensics had found no signs of a break in, all the entrances and exits were locked, no fingerprints had been found, no skin fragments, hair...etc. Even the alarm had not gone off. In other words, except for the missing jewelry, there was absolutely no sign that anyone had been there.

Two weeks and four other similar cases later, everything seemed hopeless. They had no clue what so ever. Even Jim's sentinel abilities couldn't pick up anything.

"Come on Chief, let's go home and get some dinner. Its getting late and I'm starving," said Jim as he threw his pen onto his desk in frustration and got up.

"Sure," replied Blair as he got up and grab their coats.

# # # # # # # # 

Jim had just gotten out of bed when the phone rang. "Ellison," he answered.

"Jim, its Simon. Sorry to wake you up so early," Captain Simon Banks said on 

the other end.

"Its okay, I was already up anyway. Is something wrong?"

"There's been another one last night. I need you and Sandburg to get here."

"Where?"

Quickly he wrote down the address that Simon gave him and was just about to wake Blair when he saw the young anthropologist walked out of his room.

"Who was that?" he asked sleepily, fighting a yawn.

"Simon. There was another one last night," Jim answered. The frustration he felt could be heard in his voice.

"Another one!? That's five in two weeks!" Blair was fully awake now.

"My thoughts exactly."

Neither man bothered about breakfast as they showered and dressed before rushing to the crime scene. It was going to be a long day.

# # # # # # # # 

Two hours later, they were back at the squad room with nothing more than two 

weeks ago.

"Ellison, Sandburg, in my office now!" barked Simon through his office door.

"What now?" muttered Blair as he and Jim walked into Simon's office. Once in the office, both men could easily read the expression on the Captain's face that clearly spelled 'trouble'. They braced themselves for what Simon was going to say.

"The commissioner just called and he wants us to solve this case as soon as possible, which means very soon."

"What!?" exclaimed Jim as he heard the news. "That's impossible! You know we have absolutely NOTHING to work on!"

"I know, but apparently, the owner of the store that was hit last night is a close friend of the commissioner and he had just lost 1.5 million worth of stones. And that's why now, we have the commissioner breathing down our necks." He paused for a moment before continuing, "Either of you have anything?"

Both men just shook their heads.

"That bad, huh? How about some theories? Like why the gemstones?" Simon asked again.

"Easier to sell? Worth more money? Can't easily be traced?" ventured Jim.

"Then why only those in Chinatown?" asked Simon.

Suddenly Blair's eyes lit up. He got up from the chair and started pacing. Both Simon and Jim could swear they heard the wheels in Blair's mind spinning at warp speed.

"Chief?"

Blair held up a finger to silence Jim and continued his pacing and thinking. 

A few minutes later, Blair was literally bouncing up and down with excitement as he told Jim and Simon about his theory. When he was finished, both men looked at him as if he were an alien.

"This is crazy, Chief," Jim was finally able to say.

"What's so crazy about it? Its been used in the laser industry," Blair replied.

"Yeah, but they use light, Sandburg. What you are suggesting is that someone is stealing gemstones around Chinatown, trying to find the perfect stone to focus on some 'inner-power', and this is just too crazy!" Simon stated.

"Oh, come on, guys! A number of cultures believe different things about different stones. For example, the Chinese believe that ground pearls are supposed to prolong life and vitality. Turquoise found on the Aztec funeral mask was believed to speed up entry to the next world, and amber is use as an energy sources by another culture, something like a cosmic battery, if you like. Some of the stones even have their own tales, like...like the hope diamond."

"Cosmic battery!" muttered Simon in disbelief. "The next thing you know,

we'll have our own X-Files division!"

Jim smiled as he heard what the Captain said.

"He does have a point, sir."

"Jim, don't tell me you believe him!" pleaded Simon.

"As I have said, he does have a point. I mean, if I wasn't here and he came in telling you that sentinels exist, would you believe him?"

"No, but that's not the point here..."

"That's exactly the point! Simon, you don't dismiss someone unless you can prove what he said was wrong. And by the way, what do we have to lose? At least now, we have something to work on," Jim argued.

Simon leaned back on his chair and massaged his temples. *Jim does have a point,* he thought, *What do we have to lose?* Out loud he said "O.K, go do what ever you need to do and don't bother me for the rest of the day. I'm having a headache."

"Yes, sir!" Jim and Blair said together as they left the Captain's office.

# # # # # # # #

"Caine, in my office!" said Captain Karen Simms as she walked passed Peter

Caine's desk towards her office.

"What did I do now?" muttered Peter as he followed the Captain into her office.

Once settled down, the Captain wasted no time and went directly to the point.

"There was a break out three weeks ago," she said.

"What! Who? How? And why didn't they notify us earlier?"

"Apparently the information got lost around the building before I finally heard about it yesterday evening. Remember the arrest you made about one and a half years ago with that detective and the Mountie from Chicago?"

"Yeah...you mean Victoria...How?"

"A hole was found on the wall in her cell. Ring a bell?"

"Sing Wah. But she isn't one of them as far as we know..."

"The hole was being dug from outside." The Captain informed Peter.

"What!? Why would the Sing Wah want her for?" Peter nearly jumped out of the chair as he heard that.

"That Detective, is what I want you to find out for me."

"Why did I know you were going to say that?" said Peter as he got up and left.

"Because you are the best we've got, Detective," said Karen as her office door closed.

"Trouble, partner?" Detective Mary Margaret Skalany asked Peter as he got back to his desk.

"Isn't it always?" he replied, only loud enough for her to hear.

# # # # # # # #

"She did WHAT!?" Detective Ray Vecchio was yelling into the receiver of his phone in the squad room of Chicago P.D. "WHEN!? HOW!?"

"Wow! Slow down there Ray, and you might want to consider lowering your voice before it shatters my ear drum," said the man on the other end.

"Sorry for that, but you better tell me what happened before I think that shattering your ear drums is a good idea to make you talk."

"It was about three weeks ago..."

"THREE WEEKS! WHY WASN'T I NOTIFIED EARLIER!? OR DID YOU THINK THAT I

WASN'T IMPORTANT ENOUGH..."

"Ray! I just heard it five minutes ago! So if you want to hear the whole story, SHUT UP!"

Ray was finally calm enough to say sorry and let the other party continued his story only with occasional interruptions, as he asked for details.

"That's it!?? That's all you have?"

"At the moment, yes. But as I say, I just heard of it myself."

"All right, I'll tell Benny about it and see what I can do," said Ray.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome." 

Ray hung up the phone and rushed out of the squad room in search of his friend Benton Fraser, to tell him about the news that he had just heard from Peter Caine; Victoria's break out.

# # # # # # # # 

Blair had been sitting in front of the computer screen for almost two hours, searching the internet for the information he needed. But so far, all he had was nothing.

"What have you got?" asked his partner, Jim.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing!"

"Why don't you check on the police data base?" suggested Jim.

"I don't think we'll find anything there," Blair replied.

"Why not?" asked Jim.

"Even YOU had thought that my idea was weird. And I don't think anyone has worked on such a bizarre case."

"Just check it out. No harm done, right?" insisted Jim.

"Alright."

Blair began typing on the computer and a few moments later he was staring at the computer like a zombie.

"Chief? You 'zoning out' on me?" asked Jim, clearly concerned about his friend.

'Zoning' was a term that Blair used when Jim focused on one of his senses and lost touch with the physical world. 

"Oh, man! Jim, take a look at this!"

Jim turned his attention towards the computer screen and moments later he found himself staring at the screen just like Blair had been earlier.

The screen displayed more than a dozen cases involving Chinese secret cults and secret societies, a few of the unsolved cases involved a sect called Sing Wah. Further investigations showed that all of the cases involved a Detective Peter Caine. Scrolling down the screen, they found a case where both Detective Peter Caine and Detective Ray Vecchio had worked together, also involving the Sing Wah.

"I guess we'll need to call Peter and Ray in on this one," said Jim, remembering the first time they had met on a camping trip a few months ago.

A few minutes later, both of them were trying to convince Simon to call for assistance.

"Is it really necessary?"

"This is our only lead, sir. And since Blair and I know almost nothing about Chinese secret societies, it's best to call in an expert."

"Jim, are you sure you're O.K?" Simon eyed Jim suspiciously.

"What?"

"The Jim Ellison I know wouldn't voluntarily give up his case."

"Simon, I'm not giving up the case. That's why I'm calling for help, so I can solve the case. And I know that Peter is good," replied Jim.

"Good is an understatement Jim. He's better than good," said Blair.

"You two know this guy? Wait a minute, is this THE Peter you told me about?"

"The one and the same," said Jim.

"You want me to bring in that Vecchio guy too?"

"Yes. Ray had worked on a few theft cases and had worked together with Peter on a case which involved the Sing Wah."

"Fine. I'll make a few phone calls and see what I can do."

"Thank you, sir."

With that Jim and Blair left Simon's office and went back to work.

# # # # # # #

Lieutenant Harding Walsh was on the phone when Ray got into his office. He held up his hand to silence Ray before he could speak and continued to talk on the phone.

"Yes, sir. I understand," he listened for another moment before he hung up.

"Listen, sir I need..." began Ray.

"No YOU listen," the Lieutenant cut him off. "You and the Mountie are going to Sloanville. For some reason they need your assistance on who knows what case, and I don't want any complaints from you. You understand?"

"Yes, sir. No complaints from me!" replied Ray with a big grin on his face.

"What's so funny?" asked Lieutenant Walsh, seeing the grin on Ray's face.

"Nothing," replied Ray as he stood up and walked out of the office. *Way to go Pete!* he thought as he closed the door.

# # # # # # # #

"Come in," said Inspector Margaret Thatcher as she heard the knock on her doors. She knew it was Constable Benton Fraser even without looking up.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" he asked.

*That's him alright,* she thought as she took her eyes away from the paperwork. Out loud she said "Yes. You are going to Sloanville."

"I beg your pardon, sir?" said Fraser, clearly surprised by what she said.

"The 101st precinct in Sloanville needs your assistance on a case they are working on, so I'm sending you to assist them."

"Yes, sir," was Fraser's replied. He had heard about Victoria's escape from Ray and had wanted to request for a leave of absence to help Peter track down Victoria. But as things turned out, he had no need to make that request after all.

He was just leaving when the inspector said, "Wait."

He turned around and waited for what she was going to say.

"It's funny that you were going to leave before knowing the details of the case you are going to be working on," she said.

"I believe the person who had requested for my assistance is either Detective Peter Caine or his Captain, and the case involves an escape convict named Victoria."

"How did...Never mind. You may go now," she dismissed him.

"Yes, sir," he turned and left her office.

# # # # # # # #

"I've contacted their superiors and they've agreed to let them come to your assistance," said Karen.

"Thank you. I was just beginning to wonder what sort of stunts they would pull to get here to help me out," replied Peter.

"Well, they'll probably be here by tomorrow and you better get things going by then. Now get out of my office and go back to work," she said with a smile.

"Yes, sir!"

The phone on his desk rang the moment he sat down in front of it.

"101st, Detective Caine," he answered.

"Hey Peter. It's Ray. Just thought that I'll let you know that Benny and I are on our way and we'll arrive around 4:00 this afternoon."

"That's fast. How about you come over here at 101st, we'll go through the details of the case then have dinner with my father."

"That sounds great."

"Okay I really appreciate you guys coming all the way to help me out."

"Don't mention it. What are friends for? Listen, I gotta go now. See you around 4:00."

"Okay."

Peter hung up the phone and went back to work.

# # # # # # # # 

The image kept repeating in Caine's mind. The image of the jewels sliding into place on the plate of Tai Gu, one by one until the last one was in place at the center of the plate. Caine knew that this would happen in the near future if he did nothing or failed to stop it. He could not even comprehend the consequences if the Dark Warrior was brought back.

Caine looked out the window and noticed that it was getting late and he had agreed to have dinner with Peter. He thought whether to tell Peter what was happening or not, but could not make up his mind. One part of him wanted to tell his son everything, the other part wanted to withhold the information so that his son would be safe. He had finally settled on seeing Peter first before making the decision. With that thought in mind, Caine left to meet his son.

# # # # # # # #

By the time Peter had finished going through the details with Ray and Fraser, it was already 7:00 p.m.

"We'd better get going if you don't want to be late meeting my father," said Peter.

"Yeah, sure. So you buying dinner as usual?" asked Ray.

Diefenbaker barked at the mention of food.

"As usual," replied Peter while Fraser was busy teaching the wolf moral education.

They arrived at the restaurant 15 minutes later and found Caine already occupying a table.

The meal went on uneventfully but Peter had noticed that his father was troubled. Later that evening, everyone had gone to Caine's place for tea and some talk. Ray and Fraser had excused themselves as it was getting late, but Peter remained behind, wanting to find out what was troubling his father.

"Pop? You okay?" asked Peter.

"I am fine. Why did you ask?" Caine turned his attention from the tea cups to his son.

"Well, you seemed...troubled the whole evening."

Caine did not want to endanger his son by telling him the truth, but some how he sensed that his son, Ray and Fraser were already involved in it. How? He did not know. But he knew that since Peter was involved, it was better he have the full knowledge.

Peter watched as his father took out the Book of Shamballa.

*What does it got to do with Shamballa?* Peter thought.

As if reading his mind, Caine answered "It has everything to do with Shamballa." Flipping through the pages, Caine finally found what he was looking for and handed the book to Peter.

Peter turned pale as he read the section his father had pointed out to him.

"Oh my God! You mean this is happening?" asked Peter, in shock.

Caine only nodded.

"And the Dark Warrior will rise again." Peter quoted the last sentence of the paragraph. "We can't let this happen," he said as he handed the book back to his father. "I can't even imagine what will happen if Darth Vader decides to come back!"

"Darth Vader?" asked Caine.

"I mean the Dark Warrior."

"Oh."

# # # # # # # # 

The news that Simon gave them was not good. Apparently there was a witness to the crime last night. A Chinese man named Sun Ming Ying. Mr. Sun was the owner of the shop opposite of the jewelry store and as far as the police were concerned, Mr. Sun had witnessed something but was too terrified to tell. Jim and Blair had wanted to see Mr. Sun, but Simon had said that it would not do any good as Mr. Sun refused to talk. Before they left the office, Simon also told them that he had problem contacting Captain Simms and that Detective Vecchio was not in town.

"I promise I'll call again tomorrow," Simon had reassured them before they left.

Despite what Simon had said, Jim and Blair were on their way to see Mr. Sun. Upon their arrival, both noticed the shop in question was an antique shop. As they opened the door, a bell rang and a Chinese man in his mid fifties came out and greeted them.

Jim pulled out his badge and introduced Blair and himself.

"I'm Detective Ellison from Cascade P.D and this is my partner Blair Sandburg. We are looking for Mr. Sun Ming Ying."

"Soon," said the man.

"Beg your pardon?" asked Jim.

"It's pronounced as soon, not sun. And I don't want to talk to any of you," his expression growing grim as he spoke.

"Mr. Sun," said Jim, pronouncing the name correctly this time, "We just want to ask you a few question..."

"Don't talk to police," said Mr. Sun, his tone firm. 

"Maybe you could talk to me, I'm not a police," suggested Blair.

"Don't talk to police partner as well."

"Then who would you talk to?" asked a curious Blair.

"Priest. Now go, I don't want to see you again," said Mr. Sun as he gestured for them to leave.

"That went well," said Jim as he got into the truck.

"It wasn't that bad. At least we know he would talk to a priest."

"Chief, you know as well as I do that he isn't talking about a priest from a church."

"I know. He wants a Chinese priest, and he know there isn't one in Cascade, or even the whole of Washington, but what he doesn't know is..."

"That we might have one coming down from Sloanville," Jim completed the sentence, "Chief, do you know that you're brilliant?"

"Never had a doubt about that."

Jim called Simon and told him about the latest development.

# # # # # # # #

Bon Bon Hai smiled as he saw the fifth jewel slide into place on the plate of Tai Gu. Four more and it will open the door of Fu Xie and the Dark Warrior will rise again.

"Here's the address of the shop you'll be dropping by tonight," Bon Bon Hai said to a woman standing beside him as he handed her a piece of paper.

"Tonight? I just pulled one off last night. Can't I even have some rest?" said the woman as she took the paper.

"The sooner you finish your assignments, the sooner you'll get your money and freedom. Doesn't the word 'freedom' sound good to you, Victoria?"

"Fine. Just get your men ready."

"They will be."

With that, Bon Bon Hai left.

# # # # # # # # 

Peter had not slept well the previous night. Every time he closed his eyes, he kept seeing the Darth Vader look alike, i.e the Dark Warrior. He finally abandoned all hope for sleep at about 5:30 a.m. thinking he might do more good if he return to the precinct.

"Peter, you look like hell!" commented Ray as he saw Peter.

"Feel like it too."

"Good morning," greeted Fraser as he walked up behind Ray.

"Morning," Peter replied half-heartedly.

"Look Peter, I've been thinking about this case the whole night. I doubt that Victoria is even in the country. It has been three weeks since her break out and I don't think she's dumb enough to stay in town," said Ray.

"Ray, I'm afraid you are wrong. The Sing Wah rescued her, and from what I know about the Sing Wah, they don't do that unless they want something in return. And in this case, they might want Victoria to steal something for them as she's quite good at breaking in and out," said Fraser.

Peter thought about what Fraser and Ray had said.

"Fraser, what you said might be right, but what I don't understand is why they don't use their own people? They have the means to go in and out of places without leaving a trail, why would they want Victoria?" asked Peter.

"Maybe they're too busy doing something else to do it themselves?" guessed Ray.

That sentence struck Peter like a lightning blot.

"The return of the Dark Warrior! Why hadn't I thought of that!" said Peter.

"The WHO!??" asked Ray.

"You don't want to know."

Peter, Fraser and Ray spent the whole morning trying to figure out the possible locations where Victoria might be, they were almost positive that she had left Sloanville as the Sing Wah activity around town was at a record setting low. But there were too many places a person could go in three week's time. Just as they were leaving for lunch, Captain Simms called out from her office, "Caine, in my office." Peter excused himself before walking into the captain's office.

"You wanted to see me, Captain?"

"Yes. I just got a phone call from Cascade," Simms said as she walked back to her desk.

"Cascade?" Peter asked, puzzled.

"Yes. Captain Simon Banks from the Major Crimes Division of Cascade P.D. He said that they're having problems on a case and had found out that you have worked on similar cases."

The name had rang a bell in Peter's mind, but he could not place it. So instead he said, "And you want me to go over there and help them out?"

"I haven't said yes yet."

"What's the case about?" Peter asked, curious.

"Captain Banks did not give me too many details on it, but from what I can tell, its a simple break in case."

"Break in? You mean residential areas?"

"No. Jewelry stores," said Simms.

"Jewelry stores..." muttered Peter. Suddenly the pieces began to come together. "The jewels will meet again on the plate of Tai Gu." 

"I beg your pardon?" 

Peter had not realized that he had wondered out loud until the Captain's question. But instead of answering her, Peter asked, "Did he said anything besides that?"

"Yes. There was no trace of any brake in or out," answered Simms, her eyebrows frowned in curiosity, wondering what her best detective was thinking.

"That's IT!"

"Detective, do you mind telling me what's going on?" curiosity began to give way to annoyance at this point.

"I'm not sure yet Captain, but can you call Captain Banks? I'll have to ask him a few questions before I can confirm my theory."

Karen Simms picked up the phone and dialed the number she had written down earlier. Captain Banks picked up the phone on the second ring. Karen told him about the request and he agreed to speak with Peter.

"So you have concluded that their main purpose is the gem stones?" asked Peter. He listened for a moment before saying, "I'll be on the next plane heading for Cascade." It was a few seconds later that the hung up the phone.

"You want to tell me what's going on? And from what I can remember, I haven't agreed on letting you go," the Captain was clearly annoyed at this point.

"Trust me Captain. After I tell you my theory, you'll haul me onto that plane yourself."

Peter was so concentrated on telling the captain what he thought might be happening that he had not noticed Detective Kermit Griffin coming into the office.

"Frankly Detective, even after what I've seen, your theory sounds a bit too 'mystical'," said the Captain after Peter finished.

"Captain, I think the kid knows what he's talking about." Kermit spoke for the first time since he arrived.

Peter nearly jumped out of the chair when he heard Kermit.

"Kermit! How long have you been standing there?" asked a startled Peter.

"Long enough to hear the whole story."

"As I was saying," Karen continued, "what makes you think that this alternate dimension even exists? I can't just let you..."

"I've been there," said Peter, cutting Karen off in mid-sentence.

"I beg your pardon?" asked Karen, not believing what she had just heard.

"I've been there," repeated Peter.

"Oh."

Karen had expected a lengthy explanation from Peter on some Shaolin beliefs of his and his father. She had not expect the three words that Peter said and it caught her off guard.

"So could you sign the expense paper now?" Peter asked a still stunned Karen.

"Yeah."

With that Peter left the office and went to lunch with Fraser and Ray.

"What's your reason for coming in here?" Karen asked Kermit when she recovered.

"I though you might want to have lunch."

"I hadn't noticed I was hungry until you mentioned it."

# # # # # # # #

"That's GREAT news, Simon!" said Jim when Simon told him and Blair that Peter had agreed to come.

"Yeah. It's 'bout time we had some good news," agreed Blair.

"You asked him about his father?" asked Jim.

"Damned! I'll call right away."

"I don't think you'll need to," said Blair.

"Why?" asked Jim.

"Jim, remember the cases that Peter told you about?" Blair prompted.

"Yeah, some of it."

"From what I've heard, 9 out of 10 of the cases he worked on involves Caine. And I can safely assume that his father will be here with him on this one."

"Well, I don't trust your assumptions Sandburg," said Simon.

"Suit yourself," Blair replied.

Just as Simon hung up, the phone rang and he grabbed it.

"Banks," he answered, "What!?" he was nearly yelling into the receiver after a minute, "Yeah, I'll get down there," he said before hanging up.

"Bad news?" asked Blair.

"We've got another one." 

He did not need to say any more as both Jim and Blair know exactly what he was talking about.

They did not expect to find anything at the crime scene, but to their surprise, Jim had found something, or rather smelled something.

"What was it?" asked Simon.

"It was really faint, but it smelled like perfume," answered Jim, "Women's perfume," he added after some thought.

"So we might have a woman on our hands?"

"I'm not sure. It could've been anyone who have gotten close enough to the safe to leave a trace."

"Which means we have nothing!" said Simon in frustration, "I hope that friend of yours is as good as you said he is."

The rest of the afternoon went uneventfully with Jim at his desk cracking his head on the case, and Blair had gone back to the university for an afternoon class.

# # # # # # # # 

Peter gripped the arm-rest as soon as the plane took off.

"Why do we have to take a plane?" he mumbled to himself as the plane took off.

"Because its the fastest way to get to Cascade?" said Ray, sitting right of 

Peter. "And stop grabbing my hand! Its gonna bruise! Not to mention that my sleeve is gonna be wrinkled!"

Peter let go of Ray's hand and mumbled an apology.

"Peter, you must face your fear in order to overcome it," said Caine, sitting on Peter's left.

"Yeah, easier said than done!"

"Peter, maybe you should go to sleep," suggested Fraser.

"Maybe I should've stayed with Dief. With the Ancient."

"Here, take these," said Caine as he handed Peter some herbs. "It will calm you down, then maybe you could sleep."

Peter made a face as he put the herbs into his mouth. *Why does all this stuff taste the same?* he thought.

As the herb took effect, Peter began to calm down and was asleep half an hour later.

# # # # # # # # 

Jim had gotten home from the station to find dinner waiting for him on the table, and his partner sitting on the couch waiting for him. Blair looked up from a book he was reading as he heard Jim coming in.

"Hey Jim, dinner's ready."

"I can see. I thought you had a late meeting today," Jim asked his partner.

"Yeah, it was canceled last minute and so I thought I might as well come home and get dinner ready."

Both men ate in silence, each in their own thoughts. They settled on the couch, each with a beer in hand, while Jim was channel surfing.

"Jim," started Blair, "you think we'll able to solve this?"

Jim switched off the TV as he heard his roommate speak. 

"I'm sure we will, Chief. I'm sure we will."

The case was getting to both of them. It had been two weeks since it started and all they got was a theory that Blair had literally pulled out of thin air and the fact that those people were after gem stones. They couldn't find a pattern to the crime, thus they were unable to predict which store would be the next victim. They had no control over the situation, and losing control was one of the things that Jim hated.

Jim finished his beer, stood up and threw the empty bottle into the trash.

"I hope Peter and Ray know what's going on." said Blair as Jim was heading towards his bedroom.

"Me too. I'm turning in Chief, don't stay up too late."

"Yeah."

It was a sleepless night for Jim and Blair as both have too many things on their mind. When Jim had finally drifted off to sleep, he dreamed.

**

"Sentinel!"

Jim spun around and came face to face with his spirit guide.

"An evil force is near. You must protect your tribe and your Guide."

"How?" asked a puzzled Jim.

"You must let the other two help," with that he disappeared.

"Wait! How would I know..."

"You will," the voice of his spirit guide echoed.

**

Jim was awakened by the sound of Blair moving around in the kitchen. He glanced at the clock which read 6:45 a.m. The dream, if it was indeed a dream, came back to him.

*Evil force?* he thought, *How am I suppose to know what it is and who's 'the other two'?*

He hated it when his spirit guide was cryptic, but then he/it had always been cryptic. He would have to tell Blair about it and hope that both of them could figure out what the dream was all about.

# # # # # # # #

Peter had decided they would visit Cascade P.D. in the morning as it was already quite late when they left the airport the previous night. The group arrived at the station at about 7:45 a.m. and headed directly to the Major Crime Department. Within 5 minutes, they were seated in Captain Banks' office. The Captain had wanted to wait for the detective that had been assigned to the case to arrive before telling them anything. After another 5 minutes wait, there was a knock on the office door and two men entered.

Peter, Ray, and Fraser had clearly showed their surprise when Jim and Blair walked into Simon's office.

"I assume that you knew each other so let's get on with the case," said Simon.

Once everyone settled down, Jim went on filling the rest of the gangs on what they know about the case, which wasn't much.

"What makes you think that it's the Sing Wah? It could just be some guys searching for stones to impress their girlfriends," said Ray.

"Actually, we aren't sure about it. It was a theory that Blair came up with that lead us to think that it might have something to do with the Sing Wah." replied Jim.

"What theory?" inquired Peter.

Blair went on telling them about the 'power-focusing' theory that he had come up with. When he had finished, Simon and Ray were shaking their heads in disbelief.

"This is crazy!" said Ray.

Simon gave Blair an 'I told you so' look before turning his attention to the rest of the visitors.

"Actually, he might be closer to the truth than you think," said Peter.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Simon.

"I think I'll let my father explain."

Everyone fell silent as Caine finished telling them about the resurrection of the Dark Warrior and Peter filling in his suspicions about Victoria's involvement in it.

"Jim, the dream..." 

"I think I know what you're thinking, Chief," said Jim before Blair could finish.

"What dream?" Peter and Ray asked simultaneously.

Jim looked at Blair; both knew that it was not possible to tell them about the dream without revealing Jim's ability. Did they trust these people enough to tell them about it? More specifically, did Jim trust them enough?

He did not know. Jim looked at Blair again. Sentinel and Guide communicating silently.

Jim closed his eyes, took a deep breath and he knew what he must do. Opening his eyes again, he told them everything, with Blair filling in some blanks.

"I know all this might sounds crazy to you guys, but what Jim told you was the truth. I know I can't control you but I really hope that you'll guard our secret." Blair finished the tale with a pleading look in his eyes.

"I think I speak for everyone when I say: What secret?" Fraser spoke for the first time since he entered.

The rest of the group nodded their heads with Ray having a shocked expression on his face and Peter muttering, "Sentinels are supposed to be myths."

"So is Shamballa," said Caine, picking up what his son said.

"Since you put it that way..."

"You mean Shamballa isn't a myth!?" asked a wide eyed Blair.

"Maybe we should discuss that later, let's get back to the case," said Peter.

"Uh...yeah, sure."

The meeting ended half an hour later. It was decided that Peter, Caine and Blair would interview the witness Mr. Sun while Jim, Fraser and Ray would go back to the latest crime scene to see if they could find anything new.

# # # # # # # #

The faint scent of perfume was lingering in the air when Jim, Ray, and Fraser arrived at the latest crime scene in Jim's truck. As before, he could not pick up anything but that perfume. He cast a glance at his company and was surprised to find Fraser sniffing the air.

"Perfume," he said.

"What? How did you know? I don't smell anything," said Ray, "Don't tell me. I don't want to know," he added as Fraser was opening his mouth to explain. "Geez! I don't even know why I asked anymore!" he muttered to himself.

Jim saw Fraser sniffing the air again and suddenly a strange mixture of expressions crossed his face. Recognition, love, hurt, and finally betrayal. It only lasted a second but it was enough for Jim to notice.

"You recognized it, didn't you?" Jim asked as he stood beside Fraser.

Fraser nodded his head. "It's a type of perfume called Rare Gold. I presumed you also notice that it smelled rather sweet. Not many people use it as it's quite expensive."

"But I take that you know someone who does."

"Yes. Her name is Victoria," Fraser answered.

"The prisoner you are tracking?! How did you know what perfume she used?" Jim detected a trace of bitterness in Fraser's voice and for a moment he thought he saw a flash of sadness in his eyes. But by the time he looked again, it was gone.

"Benny was involved with her a few years back. That was before she turned her back on him," Ray whispered to Jim.

Jim nodded understandingly. *That's why the sadness,* he thought.

# # # # # # # # 

The bell on the door announced their arrival at the antique store as the trio walked in. Mr. Sun's expression darkened as soon as he saw Blair in the lead.

"I told you I will not talk to you," said Mr. Sun before Blair could even open his mouth.

"Blair, maybe you could wait outside while I speak to Mr. Sun?" said Caine.

"Sure," replied Blair as he walked out of the store.

"I am Caine, and this is my son Peter," Caine introduced himself and his son.

"Caine?!" Mr. Sun said in disbelief. "I am honored by your presence."

"Then let me help. I sense that you are strongly disturbed. What is it?"

"I...I...Wo bu dong zhe mo jiang!" , I don't know how to tell you, Mr. Sun said in Mandarin.

"Chong tou kai shi?" , start from the beginning? suggested Caine.

Mr. Sun nodded his head and invited Caine and Peter to sit before telling them what had happened, in Mandarin.

Apparently on the day, or rather night, of the crime, Mr. Sun had stayed in the shop till late night finishing some paper work for new arrival items that was going to be delivered the next day. He was almost done when he saw a flash of light in the jewelry store opposite. When he looked closer, he saw two men and a woman in the store. He knew that something was wrong so he quickly packed his things and was locking up when someone walked up to him and threaten him so he would not tell anybody what he had saw. Then the two men and the woman vanished in the same flash of light he saw earlier. The man that threatened him told him that Bon Bon Hai would be visiting personally if he ever uttered a word.

Caine had assured Mr. Sun that he and his family would be safe before leaving.

"Well? How did it go? Did he tell you anything?" asked Blair excitedly as he saw Caine and Peter approaching him.

"Whoa! Slow down there! It went well and he told us what we need," replied

Peter, "but you can't use any of it in court."

"Why?" Blair asked with a confused expression.

"Because the judge would throw him into the nut house if he told them what he saw."

"What did he saw?" Blair asked again, getting more curious by the second.

"Oh, just people appearing and disappearing in flashes of white light," said

Peter as though he was discussing the weather.

"What!?!? Peter, have you been watching X-Files? 'Cause what you just told me sounds WAY too crazy, even for me!"

"You heard what I said. And no, I haven't been watching X-Files. Let's just get back to the station before discussing it, OK?" said Peter as he hopped into the driver's seat of the rented Ford.

"X-Files?" inquired Caine.

"Its a famous television show about aliens and FBI," replied Peter as they pulled out of the parking lot.

"Uh huh." Caine replied with a nod.

# # # # # # # # 

Both groups had assembled in Simon's office by noon and had filled the Captain in on what they found out. Simon was NOT pleased when he heard the part about the Sing Wah's means of transportation. 

"You are telling me that those people could just appear and disappear in a flood of light?" said Simon behind his desk.

"It's more complex than that, but basically yes, that's what I'm telling you," said Peter.

Simon shook his head in disbelief. *Maybe I should call Mulder and Scully!* he thought. Out loud he said, "I can't even believe you buy that story!"

"Captain Banks, I don't expect you to believe what I've said but I have first hand experience with that type of...of inter-dimensional travel so I know what I'm talking about. I know you might think I'm crazy, but what I'm telling you is the truth. I know it because I've experienced it."

"Detective, it's not that I don't want to believe you, it's just that what you are telling me is too...too...mystical!" said Simon, his hands waving in a Sandburg-like gesture as he struggled to find the correct word.

"Then just accept it as it is," Peter said softly. 

Simon sat in his chair and thought about what Peter had said. *I don't have to believe it. Hell! Half the time I don't believe what Jim can do. Am I just accepting Jim's ability? If I could do that with Jim's ability, why not this theory?* Finally he let out a sigh and said, "Fine, go do whatever you want before I change my mind!"

"Thank you Captain," said Peter.

"Now I believe you have a job to do?"

"Yes sir!" Peter, Jim, Blair, Ray and Fraser said simultaneously as the group walked out of Simon's office. Jim smiled as he heard Simon whispering to himself, "Why on earth do I put up with them? All they ever give me is a hell of a headache!"

# # # # # # # # 

The group decided to head for lunch before plunging themselves into the case. Just as they were walking out of their vehicles parked near an ally beside the Chinese restaurant, Jim noticed that they were being followed. But before he could react, fifteen men in black appeared and surrounded them.

"Sing Wah," Peter and Caine noted out loud.

"You and your friends will die today, Caine!" spat a man who appeared to be the leader of the group. With that the group of Sing Wah attacked.

Caine, Peter, Jim and Fraser had no problem fighting off their opponents, Ray was hit a few times but was standing his ground. Blair was behind Jim most of the time until one of the Sing Wah targeted him while Jim was busy tackling his opponent. He manage to pack a few punches but was no match to his opponent who was better trained in martial arts than he was. Just as he thought that he was going to die, a man in dark suit and sunglasses seemed to appear out of thin air and shot the Sing Wah member with an enormous gun. He then pulled Blair to his feet and went on shooting another Sing Wah before someone kicked his gun out of his hand. The stranger then joined in the fight and before long, every single Sing Wah member were fleeing.

"Kermit, why am I not surprise to see you?" asked Peter.

"Kermit? As in Kermit the frog?" asked Blair, wondering why anyone would choose a name from a 'Sesame Street' character.

"Oh, yeah," replied Kermit.

"Thanks for saving my partner's behind back there," said Jim.

"No problem. Though kid, next time you might want to stay out of these fights.

You could've gotten killed."

"No objections here," Blair agreed.

"Kermit, its been a long time! By the way, have you eaten?" greeted Ray.

"No, Ray..."

"In that case, you're buying," said Ray, cutting Kermit off before he could finish.

"Fraser, I can see your partner hasn't change a bit since we last saw each other," commented Kermit as Ray dragged him into the restaurant.

"No, I doubt he has," agreed Fraser with a smile.

Peter introduced Kermit to Jim and Blair and by the end of lunch they were talking as if they'd know each other for life. 

"Pop, at that camping trip, you already knew about Jim, did't you?" asked Peter.

"Yes."

"What?!?!?" exclaimed the rest of the group, excluding Kermit, who was totally clueless on what was going on.

Peter held up a hand to silence them. "Then why didn't you tell me? If I remember correctly, I was almost begging you to tell me the other night."

"As I have said, it is not up to me to give up their secret," replied Caine.

"I guess you're right. And all this Sentinel stuff does explain lots of things that I haven't figured out," said Peter.

"Can we talk now?" asked Ray.

"Sure," Peter replied.

"OK, what did you mean when you said that Caine already knew about Jim?"

The rest of the group looked at Caine expectantly.

"I sensed that Jim was different..." Caine went on explaining to the group and managed to finish just as their food arrived.

The seven of them went back to the station after lunch to discuss their plan about the case. It was later decided that if Victoria and the Sing Wah were separated, Caine, Peter and Kermit would take care of the Sing Wah while Ray, Fraser, Jim and Blair would try to track down Victoria. The only problem now was to find out where they were hiding.

# # # # # # # #

"You fools!!" Bon Bon Hai yelled at his men, "I would have taken care of the Shaolin and his son myself! Now you've alerted them to our presence and we've lost the element of surprise!"

"But we thought..."

"You thought!? If you EVER used your brains, you would not be standing here! Idiots! You were supposed to prepare for the arrival of the Dark Warrior! Not tackling with the Shaolin! Now get out of my face before I change my mind about sparing you lives! I couldn't afford that right now."

"Yes," said the man as he and his companions hastily retreated out of the room.

Bon Bon Hai turned his attention to Victoria as soon as his men left. He handed her a piece of paper and said, "That's the address. I want the seventh jewel by morning."

Victoria said nothing as she accepted the piece of paper and walked out of the room to prepare herself for the night.

# # # # # # # #

The group spilt up after lunch to search for clues. Peter went along with Jim and Blair, Caine along with Ray and Fraser, and as usual, Kermit worked alone. By the end of the day, all they found out was that the Sing Wah were indeed in town, which was something they already knew since their encounter near the restaurant.

By 6:00 p.m, they had called it a day. Jim had invited them over to the loft for dinner; Ray and Fraser took up the offer while Peter, Caine and Kermit declined. Peter and Caine had gone back to the hotel they were staying at and said that they had something to do while Kermit told them he wanted to check out a source. Peter did not even want to imagine what kind of source the ex-mercenary had.

# # # # # # # #

Dinner had been pleasant. Blair was cleaning the dishes while the others were talking on the couch. Blair joined them just as the conversation began to get back to their current case.

"So you know Victoria?" asked Jim.

"Yes," Fraser answered simply, without explanation.

"How did you met?" asked Blair innocently. "I'm sorry, if you don't want..." he quickly added as he saw the emotional rush across the mountie's face as he heard the question.

"No. It's all right. We first met on the mountains and almost immediately, I fell in love with her. I was torn from inside out when I found out what she did. If it weren't for Ray's persuasion, I would have gone with her when she came back to Chicago a few years back."

"Yeah, and it was one hell of a persuasion all right. I had to shoot you to get your attention!" interrupted Ray jokingly.

"You did WHAT??" Blair could not even imagine the situation. Would Jim shoot him if they were to switch positions? He would have to ask him about it.

"Actually that was an accident. Anyway she reappeared in Sloanville after some time and was trying to steal a ruby but we manage to stop her in time. She still wanted me to go with her then and to tell the truth, I was very tempted at that moment."

"Luckily, no one had to shoot him this time," Ray interrupted again.

"Yes," Fraser continued, "Somehow Caine led me to the right path, even without telling me what to do. I know that I still loved her but what she did was wrong." Fraser stopped suddenly. The pain he felt could be seen in his eyes. It doesn't matter whether it was his past experience causing it or if it was the recent reminder, it was still the same.

"What did you do?" prompted Blair.

"I arrested her. That was the only thing I could do. I know she might think I betrayed her since I know how much she hated jail, but the truth is the other way round. She knew who I was and yet she went on doing what she wanted even when she knew the consequences," Fraser almost sounded bitter, almost.

There was no doubt from the others that this man still loved Victoria. Maybe not as strongly as before, but the feelings were still there, somewhere. They sat in silence for a moment before Ray wondered out loud, "What would the Inspector said if she were here?"

Jim could swear that Fraser's face was as red as his uniform when he heard Ray mentioned the word "inspector".

"What Inspector?" asked Blair.

"Uh...nothing for you to worry about," Fraser was really embarrassed at this moment.

Blair looked at Ray questioningly.

"Inspector Thatcher. That's Benny's boss."

"Oh," nodded the other two men with grins on their faces.

# # # # # # # #

At the mean time, Peter and Caine were back in their hotel room trying to find out where Bon Bon Hai might be hiding, in their own way. Time was running short, they only had three days, two and a half to be exact, before the day of yin.

Father and son sat in the lotus position, hands joined, both deep in concentration.

***

They were in a dark room.

"Pop, it's never so dark in here. I can barely see a thing!"

"Bon Bon Hai has put up a defense. He is making our task harder." With a wave of his hand, the room lighted up and a door appeared on the wall directly in front of them. Caine walked towards the door and opened it. Father and son walked out to find themselves in a huge garden with a mansion located not too far away.

"Everything is so dark here," Peter commented. 

"That is because of the evil this place houses."

As they walked towards the mansion, their surroundings began to get darker and they were blinded by the sudden snow fall. Peter could sense that he was growing weaker by the minute and he mentally urged his father to hurry up. Finally the snow was too dense and they had no choice but to go back to where they came from.

***

Peter opened his eyes and found himself in the hotel room he and his father shared. He was so exhausted that he could barely get up and haul himself onto the bed. He did not care about anything now except going to bed, the rest of the world could wait till morning. He was asleep even before his head hit the pillow.

Caine smiled as he watched his sleeping son. To tell the truth, he was a bit surprised that Peter had gotten that far and he was very proud of him. Peter was growing stronger, so to speak, and he could sense that the day for Peter to choose his path drawing nearer.

# # # # # # # #

It was already late at night when Ray and Fraser returned to the hotel. Both of them had gone to bed but Fraser could not sleep. Old feelings resurfacing, mixing with new feelings. He had not thought about Victoria for quite some time now, until he had smelled that sweet smell at that store this morning, a smell he had known so well and fallen in love with. He still had feelings for her, but he knew that it was hopeless between them, and there was Margaret Thatcher, the Inspector. He knew they were both attracted to each other but Thatcher's pride had stopped them from going into a relationship. He could still remember vividly the passionate kiss they shared on top of the train, and he could almost taste her again. Would there be a chance for them? There might, there might not, he was not sure. But the one thing he was sure of was that it was hopeless between him and Victoria, but there was still a chance for him and Thatcher. With that thought in mind, he fell asleep.

# # # # # # # #

The gang had gathered at Simon's office by 8:00 a.m.the next morning, along with Kermit who had met Peter earlier that morning at the hotel. Kermit had managed to find out about a few possible hideouts for Bon Bon Hai from his source and Peter also told Simon about the mansion, though he kept quiet when Simon asked how he had accomplished that. With the description and addresses, they managed to narrow down the possibilities from 15 to 6. They were just going to check out the addresses when the phone on Simon's desk rang.

"Banks," he answered. He listened for a minute before yelling, "What!?!? Fine, I'll be right there," and he hung up. He looked at the rest of the people in his office and announced, "We've got another one."

"That's the seventh. Two more to go," muttered Peter as he followed the rest of them out of the office.

# # # # # # # #

Jim noticed the sweet scented perfume the moment he went near the actual crime scene. With the help of Blair, he tried to trace the smell to where the thief might have gone but turned up with nothing. It was as if they had dropped into a hole on earth, the smell stopped at a center point in the room where the safe was located. Caine was standing right at that point, his hands in front of him as if he was trying to feel something that was not there.

"They have been here," Caine said to no one in particular.

"You mean the Sing Wah?" asked Ray who was standing beside Caine.

"Yes," said Caine as he pulled out a green pendant of sort with Chinese inscriptions on it from his jacket pocket. It glowed once it was out in the open. Peter was clearly shock when he saw the amulet of Kwai Chang. He was sure that he had not brought it with him.

"Pop, where did you...Never mind. So, can we follow them?"

"No, not this time. It is too late."

When everyone finished going over the crime scene in their own way, they assembled in front of the store where they went through the list of potential hideouts. It was agreed that they would split up into two groups, each group would check out three of the addresses on the list which were spread out all across Cascade. Caine, Ray and Fraser would be in a group while Peter and Kermit would join Jim and Blair. This way each group would have at least one person experienced with the Sing Wah.

# # # # # # # #

The rest of the day was spent driving and by the end of the day, both groups had only checked out 2 addresses each, with no results. By 7:00 P.M, members from both groups were back at the station, exhausted from the long day.

"We have less than 36 hours to find Bon Bon Hai and we aren't even sure where he's hiding!" said a frustrated Peter.

"You never really told us why you have a time limit," said Jim.

"That is because it will be too late after that," answered Caine.

"Too late? Late for what?" Jim hated the way Caine talk. Always cryptic and like his spirit guide, he can't get a straight answer out of the man.

"If we haven't found Bon Bon Hai by the time the clock strikes 12 midnight tomorrow night, and Bon Bon Hai manages to get the ninth jewel, the gate of Fu Xie will be opened and the Dark Warrior will be back," Caine answered.

"I've wanted to ask you this for quite sometime, who IS the Dark Warrior?"

"Someone who looks like Darth Vader," Peter answered Jim's question.

"Dark Warrior, Dark Warrior....I've heard that name before," Blair was talking to himself. "Dark Warrior...Wait a minute! Isn't that the name for an evil being in ancient Chinese mythology? And what do you mean he'll be back?? How could myths 'be back'??" Blair bombarded Peter and Caine with questions.

"Whoa! Slow down Blair! Yes, it's a name for an evil force, and yes, he is supposed to be a myth but unfortunately isn't. As for the other question, I'll let my father explain." Peter was answering Blair's questions as best as he could, but the look he got from the young anthropologist told him that he still wanted more answers. 

Everyone turned their attention to Caine as he began to explain their situation in greater detail than before, including the deadline he had not mentioned during their first meeting in Captain Simon Banks' office.

"Well, that explained the dream," muttered Jim.

"Caine, isn't Shamballa supposed to be a myth too?" asked Blair.

"But it is not. Shamballa is as real as you and me and this world."

"How did you know? I mean, I've read about it but I never seen any indication that this place might be real."

"Simple, we've been there," it was Peter who answered. Blair could do nothing but stare at Peter and Caine, speechless. Jim just shook his head in disbelief. *How could someone go to a place that isn't supposed to exits?* he thought.

As if reading his mind, Caine said, "Myths and legends have certain truth in them. In this case, it's the whole truth. I trust that you believe in spirit guides? They are supposed to be myths too, are they not?" This time it was Jim's turn to stare. "How did you...Never mind." Jim did not want to know how Caine knew he had a spirit guide, he was sure he had not told him about it. Jim stopped wondering when he heard Caine begin to explain things to them. With the things Caine had told them, he wondered how Kermit, Ray and Fraser could just accept all this mythical stuff.

Peter and Kermit had wanted to check out another address before going back to the hotel but Ray had convinced them not to, saying that it had been a long day and all of them needed rest if they were going to stop Bon Bon Hai. Both of them had agreed reluctantly, knowing that Ray was right.

# # # # # # # #

Bon Bon Hai looked at the octagonal shaped plate with an evil grin on his face. "Soon," he thought, "the Dark Warrior will be back! And together, Shamballa will be ours!" With that thought, the grin turned into a smile.

Everything was going well. He had felt it when both Caines had tried to find him and he had manage to cast a shroud of snow in their mind before they could do so. "This time, they WILL die," he thought as he walked out of the chamber that held the plate. In less than 36 hours, the world would be his.

# # # # # # # #

They had received a report on an eighth store being broken into last night and another report had came in later, stating that a family heir ruby was also stolen. It was already 4:00 p.m. when they finally found the mansion that Peter and Caine saw during their quest.

Jim had called for back up before he went investigating with the rest of the group. The mansion that stood in front of them was huge, with a pair of stone lions sitting at the two sides of the front door.

Suddenly the door opened, revealing a dark hall. Jim, with his enhanced sight, could see that there was a flight of stairs that leads to a hallway at the end of the hall. He concentrated on his hearing, but could hear no one except the seven of them. "There's no one in there." Jim said out loud, "No heartbeat that I could hear."

"I'm not surprised," commented Peter as he began to walk into the mansion.

"Peter, wait!" Caine fished out the amulet of Kwai Chang and put it around his son's neck. 

Peter saw the snow disappeared almost immediately. "Thanks Pop." 

Once they stepped into the hall, the door closed behind them and they were left in total darkness.

"Now what?" Ray was standing still, afraid that he might accidentally knock into someone or something. "Jim, I take that you're the only one who can see in here. So where do we go?"

"Actually, I can see pretty well in here. So can my father," said Peter as he headed towards the stairs, dragging Kermit with him.

With three out of seven of them able to see in the dark, it was fairly easy for them to navigate around.

They were at the second floor hallway when suddenly Jim picked up a heartbeat. He motioned them to stop and concentrated on finding the source. The heartbeat came from a room almost directly in front of them. When he got nearer, he could pick up the sweet scent of perfume that he had become quite familiar with. Fraser had apparently smelled it, too, as he whispered the name "Victoria". Jim noticed that the heartbeat was getting further away as they approached the room. When he opened the door to reveal an empty room, he quickly scanned the room but found no other exits. Just as suddenly, the heartbeat vanished.

Just then the room was illuminated by a bright green color. Peter looked down and found the amulet of Kwai Chang glowing.

"Pop?"

"Follow the light." Caine led his son towards a wall at the far side of the room. Jim thought his senses were playing tricks on him when he saw the wall shimmer as a bright swirl of white light appeared. Peter and Caine walked into the light and disappeared. What the others did not saw was a large black cat following the Caines. Quickly he grabbed Blair and followed the Shaolins into the light.

The room and the hallway were well lit when the vortex disappeared along with the four people.

# # # # # # # #

Ray, Fraser, and Kermit were stunned by what they saw. 

"Come on, let's find Victoria." Kermit was the first to recover.

"Yes," Fraser said as he sniffed the air. "I believe she went this way." Fraser pointed towards the bed.

"What?!" Ray was almost yelling. This was too much for him. First, people that walked through walls, now this!

Kermit said nothing as he flipped over the mattress to reveal a flight of stairs leading down. 

"Come on," said Kermit as he led the group down with his gun drawn. Ray copied his actions.

# # # # # # # #

Blair found himself being dragged into the swirl of light by Jim. Before he could protest, he found himself in a brightly-lit hall. He looked around and found no obvious source of light. It was as if the walls themselves were giving off light. Jim was beside him, looking as confused as he was and dressed in an ancient tribal costume. He looked at himself and saw that he was dressed as a Shaman. "What the...?" he thought. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw two white figures approaching. He looked up and saw Peter and Caine, now dressed in pure white Chinese style robes.

"How did...Never mind."

"We need to find the plate of Tai Gu before it is too late." Caine said as he lead the others. 

The group of four, wandered through what seemed to be an endless maze of corridors. Caine and Peter took care of any occasional Sing Wah members that came their way. It was when they felt as if they were wandering forever when Caine, with a wave of his hand, shoved a door inward, revealing a middle aged oriental man.

"Caine, I see that you have brought company," greeted Bon Bon Hai with an evil smile on his face. "Too bad you are too late. The ninth stone is already in place and in another half an hour, the Dark Warrior will return."

"If I were you, I wouldn't want to celebrate yet," spat Peter.

"Well, young Caine. I'm surprised at how strong you've grown, but you're still no match for me." Bon Bon Hai's eyes seemed to glow red and all of a sudden, the group was surrounded. Caine managed to free himself from the mass of people and found his intended target. Bon Bon Hai threw a few punches but Caine deflected them. Both involved themselves in an intensive kung fu fight.

Peter and Jim somehow managed to keep Blair safe between them and at the same time fight off most of their opponents. Just when Peter wanted to rush up to help Caine, Caine yelled at him to find the plate of Tai Gu before it was too late.

"You will never find it!" screamed Bon Bon Hai as he threw a kick towards Caine.

Peter, Jim, and Blair were again out in the corridors, with no idea how to find the plate of Tai Gu. They were searching from room to room but their efforts were not rewarded.

# # # # # # # #

The secret passage from the bed had led them into a larger room. The only other way in or out was through a door at the far end of the flight of stairs they descended. Kermit opened the door to find himself staring at a room similar to the one he was in.

The trio were getting frustrated after entering the seventh similar room.

"Wait a minute," Fraser was sniffing the air again, "I don't smell the perfume anymore."

"What?" Ray was getting short tempered. It was bad enough that they were going around in circles, but now Fraser was telling them that it was all for nothing!

Fraser retraced his steps backed into the sixth room, then back into the fifth room where he sniffed the air again. "This is the last room that still has the smell," Fraser said as he began to look around the room. It was like all the other rooms that they saw. A table was located at the center of the room with two chairs on opposite sides of the table, a wall sized mirror was located at the left of the door they came through.

Fraser looked at the mirror closely, then ran back to the sixth room and stared at the mirror there. He did the same for the mirror in the fourth room and then finally rejoined his puzzled companions in the fifth room. Then what he did puzzled Ray and Kermit even further, he bent down and looked at the floor near the mirror.

"Benny? What have you found?"

Fraser only held up his hand to silence Ray. Ray threw up his hands in frustration as he turned around and faced Kermit. Then he heard Kermit gasp; he spun around but found no trace of his friend. Then just as suddenly, Fraser emerged out of the mirror.

"What the hell was that all about??!!" Ray walked towards his friend and touched him. "You're real."

"Ray, of course I'm real."

"Then how did you..."

"I think I know what happened. This mirror is just an illusion. It's actually not there." Kermit stepped through the mirror and found himself in a tunnel. He was joined by Fraser and Ray moments later.

"Okay Fraser, where did she go?" asked Kermit.

Fraser sniffed the air and jogged up the tunnel, in the same direction as where they first started.

# # # # # # # #

Simon was not a happy man right now. Jim had called in for back up over 6 hours ago. His men were unable to break into the mansion that stood in front of them and all he could do was wait.

# # # # # # # #

Just as they thought their search was hopeless, Jim thought he saw a flash of black from the corner of his eyes. Quickly he ran towards the direction and was rewarded with the sight of his spirit guide.

"What is it Jim?" asked Blair. He looked towards the direction that his Sentinel was looking and spotted the panther too.

"Wow, large cat," Peter commented as he too sighted the panther.

When the panther saw that it had everyone's attention, it ran towards the far end of the corridor and then disappeared. The humans sprinted after the animal and found it waiting for them at a junction. When it saw that they had caught up with it, it ran again and made another turn.

They followed the panther who was making left and right turns until it disappeared in front of large oriental looking door which stood out from the rest of the white colored doors. Jim tried the door but found that it was locked.

"Its time like these where I REALLY wish I had my gun!" said Jim.

"Let me try something." Peter stepped in front of Jim, who was facing the door. He rubbed his hands together and put his hand on the lock. A 'click' sound was heard and Peter opened the door.

"How did you do that?!?" Blair was stunned.

"Practice," Peter answered simply as he walked into the chamber and was greeted by a group of five Sing Wah. Blair stood out of the way as Peter and Jim fought. In no time, all their opponents were lying face down on the floor moaning in pain.

Peter spotted the plate of Tai Gu resting on a pillar in front of a huge stone door. 

"There's the plate!" Peter announced as he walked towards it. He felt a shield directly in front of the plate as he got close, but before he could say anything, Jim bumped into the sheild and was tossed a few feet away.

"What was that?!" Jim asked as he stood up.

"It's a shield set up by Bon Bon Hai to make sure that no one could get to the plate."

"Then how are we going to get it?" asked Blair.

"Well, that depends on us. I think I finally understand why the two of you were brought along. OK, we need to join our energy to break this shield. And Blair, you will have to take the lead."

"What? Why?"

"Because you are the Shaman. Don't worry about it. I'll tell you what to do. You meditate right?" When Peter saw Blair nod, he continued "Good, center yourself, and when you feel Jim and me present in your mind, you shove all the energy that you can summon towards the shield. Got it?"

Blair nodded and prepared himself.

"How am I suppose to do that?" asked Jim.

"Okay, I'll touch your mind with mine and when you fell my presence in your mind, follow it. I'll lead you."

When all of them were linked, Blair did as he was told, but the shield did not collapse, it only weakened, and time was running short.

"Blair, you are a Shaman. You have the power within you that is even stronger than mine. Find that source and use it! Open your mind and summon all the power that is inside you!" urged Peter.

"But I...I..."

"You CAN do it. You MUST! Let's try this again, okay?"

They repeated the process. This time Blair reached deep down inside himself and found the spot where the older Shaman had touched when he died. He gathered up all the power he could, and with a thought, shoved it against the shield that Bon Bon Hai had built. The shield shattered when it could not counter the force.

# # # # # # # #

"NOOOOOO!!" Bon Bon Hai screamed as he felt the shield break down. "You will pay for this Caine!" He threw a few punches that were easily blocked by Caine. Bon Bon Hai was angry with Caine and he felt frustrated that he still could not defeat Caine. His anger and frustration made a great advantage for Caine as now Bon Bon Hai could not concentrate.

With a few more moves, Bon Bon Hai found himself on the floor. Caine summoned his power as a Shamballa Master and directed that power at Bon Bon Hai. In a flash of pure white light, Bon Bon Hai was gone.

# # # # # # # #

They had finally caught up with Victoria in the tunnel. They could see her running towards another door. With a burst of energy, Ray hauled himself onto Victoria and the both of them ended up lying on the ground. Victoria struggled to get free and almost did if not for the sight of Kermit's Desert Eagle pointed at her forehead.

"Lady, I suggest that you cooperate with us. It will not be nice if I have to blow out your brains to make you listen," Kermit threatened.

Victoria had no choice but to let Ray cuff her. She turned around and saw Fraser just standing there, watching. "Ben." There was a pleading tone in her voice, but Fraser ignored it. "Ben, please. I love you," she pleaded again.

The anger was rising in him. After all that had happened between them, how could he believe that this woman still loved him? More than once she had betrayed him. She had broken his heart again and again. Now she was telling him she loved him. How dare she toy with his feelings! He would have laughed if not for the seriousness of the situation.

"No Victoria, I loved you! The only thing you did was betrayed me again and again!" There was a coldness in Fraser's voice that Ray had not heard before and it sent chills down his spine. "You broke my heart Victoria. Not just once." Fraser's tone was softer this time. "You wouldn't have done what you did if you'd ever loved me." This time there was a tone of sadness.

"No use trying Vic, there's another woman in Benny's life now," said Ray as he dragged Victoria towards the exit. 

"Nooo! You're lying!" yelled Victoria.

"Believe what you want," Ray said coldly.

# # # # # # # # 

The plate of Tai Gu had already begun to glow when they managed to get pass the shield.

"What do we do now?" asked Jim. 

"Don't tell me you're going to read a phrase or perform rituals 'cause we don't have time," said Blair.

"No. Nothing like that. Let's do it MY way." Carefully Peter picked up the plate from the pillar. He instructed Jim and Blair to get back before he smashed the plate on the floor.

The plate broke into thousands of pieces and then 9 different colored light beams shot out from the broken plate and into the three of them.

When the beams went into him, Blair felt as if he was burning from inside out and he cried out in pain. Then the burning sensation turned into a warm sensation that traveled through out his body. The next thing he knew, he was on the floor with a worried Peter by his side. He turned and saw that Jim was just getting off the floor himself. "What happened?" he asked as he stood up.

"Well, you and Blair just collapsed when the energy from the plate and jewel were transferred into you," explained Peter, "At least that's what I think happened."

"Then why..." Blair trailed off.

"Why am I still standing? I was trained to handle this kind of stuff. Believe me when I say I too nearly passed out." He paused for a moment before continuing. "You guys okay?"

"Yeah," both Jim and Blair answered.

"Then let's find my father."

# # # # # # # #

Caine had nearly reached his destination when he saw his son and friends walking towards him. 

"Pop! Am I glad to see you!"

"Uh...I would really like to go home now," said Blair.

"Of course," replied Caine.

# # # # # # # #

Simon tensed as he saw four people walking out of the garden. He relaxed when he saw that Ray was leading.

"Where are the others?" he asked as he rushed towards them.

"We were separated," answered Fraser.

"Damn!" cursed Simon as Fraser's answer meant that he still had to wait.

"Captain Banks, may I present you the infamous Victoria!" said Ray as he shoved Victoria in front of him.

"Get her out of my sight!" Simon ordered Brown who was standing behind him.

"Gladly!"

Just as Victoria was transported away in a squad car, the front door of the mansion opened to reveal Jim, Blair, Caine and Peter. Simon let out a breath that he did not know he was holding and thanked God that his men were safe.

"Ellison, Sandburg! Where was the suspect that you were suppose to arrest?" barked Simon.

"He...uh...he disappeared," Blair managed to uttered out the words.

"What do you mean he disappeared? Don't tell me that he vanished with a flash of light! Did he?" Simon added.

"Well, I'm not sure sir, but I think he did," replied Jim.

Simon just shook his head and said nothing as he shove the cigar he was holding into his mouth. *I don't even want to know!* he thought.

# # # # # # # #

The next day, all of them were back at the station filling out reports. All of them, excluding Caine, had agreed that they needed to do some major creative editing on their reports. It took some time for them to agree to the same story, but eventually, they did.

Victoria was back in prison and would be transported back to Sloanville when Peter returned. Everything was back to normal. Or as normal as it could get.

THE END

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Comments are welcome here!

 


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